Anybody ever encounter the reed plates on a Special 20 put on with nails? I knew it was an older harp, but it was the first time I saw nails being used on a plastic comb.
It was needing a cleaning and tuning so I took it apart. ????NAILS??? So I popped them out, cleaned and tuned it. Then I drilled out the entry hole just a little and used screws that came with some other replacment reeds. Merano I think, and put it all back together. So it has more screws than a new Special 20! Works great.

railjumper, this was a solution I did have in mind for cleaning older wooden comb to plates that had been fitted on manufacture with nails, answered in the cleaning thread. Adding a few screw bolts would restore the plates air tightness. As for nails in plastic, never seen them. That brings to mind the old engineering adage, "Never mix plastic to metal they are not compatable"

The screws acually went through the first reed plate through the comb to the other reed plate. So I guess you could say it was metal to metal. Still after taking it apart I don't believe the nails would ever hold it together as tight as the first time. This is why I don't buy Marine Band harps.

I have three chrometta 8 chromatic harps (old ones with red plastic combs) which had pins fastening the plates to comb - metal to metal - pins passing through oversize holes in the comb.
I have replaced the pins with s/s 2mm screw bolts - oversize holes on top plate with bottom plate screw threaded - instead of using nuts to tighten plates to comb.

I have three chrometta 8 chromatic harps (old ones with red plastic combs) which had pins fastening the plates to comb - metal to metal - pins passing through oversize holes in the comb.
I have replaced the pins with s/s 2mm screw bolts - oversize holes on top plate with bottom plate screw threaded - instead of using nuts to tighten plates to comb.